Fix it Again, Tony - letters from March 2013

March '13

Q&A from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

Q: I'm looking for some assistance. My current mechanic is feeling under the weather, and I'm looking for a possible replacement to do some transmission work on my 1956 Austin-Healey 100, which had been scheduled to be done by him. I still have my fingers crossed, but just in case.

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My roadster is a real driver, having covered over 150,000 miles in the past 15 years, which gives you some idea of the person I'm looking for. Distance is not a huge obstacle, within reason.
Keep up your great magazine, as I'm sure you hear daily. You guys are the best, but who doesn't like to hear it?
Tony Correa
Damariscotta, MaineA: Congratulations on racking up 150K on your Big Healey, Tony. I'm always impressed to see owners who drive their cars a lot. The BN2 was designed to have a top speed of 100 MPH, and so the "100" designation. The 100 was the first of the Big Healeys, with the 100-6 and 3000 to follow. As with a number of British sports cars, the manual offered an electric overdrive that was bolted to the back of the transmission. But that's not answering your question, is it?

I have to say that finding a good mechanic is like finding a good doctor or plumber. It all comes down to a matter of trust. Mechanics who look out for your car's best interest instead of theirs are hard to find. When it gets into old British, Italian, French (insert your favorite country here) shops, you're more likely to find honest mechanics than if you drop into the local quick-lube joint.

There are a lot of good shops that specialize in your Healey, but if you trust this mechanic, then, if possible, I would wait. If not, then a quick email to your local Healey club will give you lots of good recommendations on who will give your transmission the love and care it needs to last another 150K.
Q: On page 17 of the latest issue of HS&EC [#89, January 2013], there is reference to Bugatti using roller bearings in one of its five-main-bearing engines. My question is, how in the world do you get roller bearings around the crank? Are they also split like a traditional bearing? If so, wouldn't the rollers soon find the seam and "fall" into it? Or maybe the bearing is seamed at an angle to prevent the rollers from doing that? Just wondering how they did that.
Jim Quade
Via emailA: Roller-bearing crankshafts have been with us for a century or more and are still used today on a number of small-displacement engines. Some of the advantages are that they allow the crankshaft to rotate with less friction to overcome, and they don't need constant oil pressure to operate as plain bearings do. Plain bearings, however, win out when it comes to ease of assembly and serviceability.

Rebuilding a roller crankshaft is very labor intensive and requires specialized tools. More important, it requires someone who has the knowledge that is acquired only from years of experience.

If you've ever looked into what it costs to do a Porsche 356 Carrera roller crank, you'll know why these engines are so expensive to rebuild. Essentially, the crankshaft has to be split into pieces to replace the bearings. It's held together by serrated pins and is bolted together. Reassembly takes special jigs, dial indicators, and someone who knows what they're doing to make sure it's true.

Since the big ends of the connecting rods do not come apart, some engines use press-out rod journals that are tack welded in. You'll find these mostly on engines found in motorcycles. If you've ever looked at any British motorcycle service manuals, they show how to whack the two halves of the crankshaft with a brass mallet to get it true.

So after all this, are you ready to tackle that four-cam 356 Carrera engine?
Q: I own a 1962 Fiat 1200 Cabriolet and have a problem that doesn't really have anything to do with the car itself. Last year, I replaced the old rubber tire valve caps with a set of polished aluminum ones because I liked the way they looked. I went to check my tire pressure the other day, and could only get one of them off. The other three were stuck. I've tried heat, WD-40 and grabbing them with pliers (the valve stem just turns), and they won't budge. It's been about six months since the last time I've had them off. Help! I'm out of ideas, and one of the tires is almost out of air.
Rodney Conway
Via emailA: Check the package, but I think those caps were made for British cars with Whitworth fasteners. I've seen this happen a number of times, and the only way to remove them safely is to cut the valve stem, remove the tire and replace with a new valve stem. You don't want to damage them and have one fail at speed.

When dissimilar metals come in contact with water, an electrochemical reaction takes place that allows electrons to flow from one metal to the other. In other words, your alloy caps are now at one with the valve stems.

While there are literally bazillions of valve cap styles that range from red-eyed chrome skulls to Hello Kitty, I would look for a steel cap that has a rubber-sealing ring inside the cap. This ring helps seal the valve stem should centrifugal force overcome the spring on the valve core. This is caused by driving at triple-digit speeds, but, since your beautifully designed Pininfarina Cab will barely crack 90 MPH, you won't have to worry about that. What it will do is keep any moisture from getting past it into the valve core.

If you're still worried about this happening again, you can put a tiny spot of anti-seize on the threads and tighten the cap by hand.
Q: I have a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SL, in excellent shape, with 55,000 miles on the clock. The only "defect" is a very minor leak in the power steering system. The mechanical function is fine, and I add four to six ounces of fluid per year. Both dealer and private shop tell me that both the power steering pump and steering gearbox need to be replaced to fix the leak. This is going to cost me $3,000-$3,600 to fix! I'm told there are no cracks in the "body," but failed gaskets. Is there any fix, other than replacing the pump and gearbox, or should I be happy to add fluid each year?
Herb Bowman
Via emailA: You know, 99 percent of British cars are with us today because of oil leaks, right? Herb, this is a bit of a tough call, but in a way, it's really simple. With a 16-ounce bottle of power steering fluid costing around five bucks, it will cost you about sixteen cents a month to leave it as it is now. A good power steering fluid that claims it will stop leaks only attacks the rubber seals, not the gaskets.

That said, it's not going to cost you anything more to give it a try. And, as an added bonus, after a few years you'll have replaced the system with fresh fluid! Since both shops have diagnosed the same thing, you can (probably) rule out power steering hoses.

Rebuilt power steering pumps and gearboxes can be had for as little as $400 for the pair, but you'll want to make sure they're done by a reputable rebuilder. Replacing the pump shouldn't be too expensive, and I would replace the hoses at that time. In theory, that should cut the leak in half. I would also look into cleaning off the gearbox and applying a layer of silicone at the source of the leak. Of course, this is a temporary fix, but it will buy you time.
So when did you pick up that first wrench or screwdriver, and rotate a fastener? I grew up with a dad who spent more time in the garage than he did in the house. The rule was that I could come out and watch, but I better not touch a thing or I was banned until I learned to keep my paws to myself.
While he was never very good with a can of wax and keeping things clean and shiny, he was a stickler for having mechanical things running the way they should. At a young age, I watched him rebuild numerous Bultaco engines on the bench and perform general maintenance on the family cars. In all the time we rode bikes in the desert, I don't remember having a single mechanical problem. I can't say the same for a number of our friends' bikes that were towed back to camp on the end of a rope.
When he thought I was old enough, he let me hand him tools, and then clean and put them back when he was done. That's where I learned the importance of having the right tool for the job and keeping it in proper working order. For a long time, my birthdays and Christmas always involved at least one box from Craftsman.
In college, I was able to supplement my measly income by rebuilding air-cooled VW engines. It was an easy way to make a few extra bucks, and I had fun doing it. Fourt(mumble-mumble-mumble) years later, I still enjoy picking up tools. It's a good feeling when something goes out the door working or sounding better than it did coming in.
If you have young kids at home, make sure they know what tools are for. When to use Vise Grips over Channellocks, and when to pick up a screwdriver (not for prying or scraping). Finally, make them repeat the phrase "Lefty-loosey--righty-tighty" until they turn green. They may not know it, but you'll be giving them a huge gift that they'll use for the rest of their lives.

This article originally appeared in the March, 2013 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.